Truth time...when do you put the heater in the coop?

[donrae]

Never. Chickens have lived many many years without heat, and I'm pretty sure they weren't huddled beside the fire with the cavemen.

 

[tntblake]

I have never used heat and my birds have always been just fine with no frostbite problems. I do use lots of shavings in the coop and heated dog bowls outside for water.

 

[foxypoproxy]

I never put a light or heater in my coop.
I feel that it would be far more dangerous if they had become accustomed to the heat during the winter months, and if a power outage occurred, then the whole flock would pretty much be wiped out from the temperature shock.
I just make sure the coop is insulated and nicely ventilated with no drafts.
I have never had frostbite or hypothermia issues with my chickens.
The most i will use is a heated waterier so the water doesn't freeze (freezing water is a bigger problem) and lots of hay+shavings.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I don't heat my coop either. After last winter, when I decided I would leave the girls shut in the coop until closer to noon because it was "too cold" when I went out to offer fresh water (no water heater for me either, so I have to go out a few times a day and offer them liquid water, usually warm in the mornings) and the girls all met me at the gate to the run because I had forgotten to shut them in the coop the night before, I no longer worry too much about it being "too cold" for them.

I worry far more about something going wrong and a heat light/space heater sending the whole coop up in flames than I do about the birds being too cold because they've acclimated to the heat if the power goes out. Our coop isn't really insulated, though we do have a 4" airspace between the plywood that makes up the outer wall and the OSB that makes up the inner walls, and a nice thick layer of litter seems to do the trick nicely to keep the girls warm.

 

[Beekissed]

The truth? That would be "never".

 

[annep]

You are all awesome! Thanks so much!

 

[Orchid]

I don't use a heater at all and it gets down to -40º here on occasion. With plenty of feed and a draft-free coop they do just fine. (I admit to making them warm oatmeal on those really cold mornings, though.)

 

[JodyJo]

never use one...we are already sub zero...my hens will actually stay outside in the run...all puffed up, but still warm...they build up their tolerance to the cold and are still fat and fluffy, and giving me 9 eggs a day, I have 11 layers....
NO HEAT

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
I do the oatmeal also!

 

[sgoldfield]

Hi,
Regarding the answers to this question, would you do something differently if your hens had fewer feathers on their necks? Ours have been kinda hard on each other and in particular the silkies are pretty bald around their waddles, so I worry about no heat in that scenario? (regarding the pecking, we've been trying a lot of different things... I don't think we have any single problem bird and they all seem to be losing feathers also. Treated for mites, have increased protein and calcium sources, have put up pecking balls... any other suggestions welcome.) Our birds free range during the day, have a smaller coop with a sheltered run, we are in Oregon, probably the lowest temperature we'd see is -5F.
Thanks!